Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia at the World Cup 2026

Saudi Arabia arrive at the 2026 World Cup with Hervé Renard back in charge for a second spell — he previously coached the side from 2019 through Qatar 2022 (where the famous 2-1 opening-match victory over Argentina remains one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history). Renard departed in 2023 to manage France's women's national team, returned in late 2024 after the Roberto Mancini experiment was abandoned.

The squad is built almost entirely from the domestic Saudi Pro League — only Antwerp's Marwan Al-Sahafi and Lens defender Saud Abdulhamid play outside the country. The defensive structure features Al-Hilal's Saleh Al-Shehri as the centre-forward, with Al-Buraikan and Al-Faraj (captain) providing the support attack. The midfield two of Mohamed Kanno (Al-Hilal) and Abdullah Otayf anchors the 4-2-3-1.

Mohamed Al-Owais is the first-choice goalkeeper — the same player who saved Lionel Messi's second penalty attempt in the 2022 win over Argentina. The defensive line of Saud Abdulhamid (Lens), Al-Tambakti, Al-Bulayhi and Al-Shahrani is the same group that delivered the 2022 result. Average squad age is approximately 29 — among the older squads at the tournament.

Group H contains Spain, Uruguay and Cape Verde. Saudi Arabia are competing with Cape Verde for fourth place — both heavy outsiders behind Spain (favourites at 1.50) and Uruguay (2.40). The realistic ceiling is one win at the group stage, repeating the 2022 Argentina shock against another favoured opponent. Outright tournament price 501.0 — among the longest of any qualifier.

Group H fixtures

All three group-stage matches for Saudi Arabia at World Cup 2026 with current odds from our partner books.

Squad & predicted XI

Al-Owais · Al-Tambakti, Al-Bulayhi, Al-Salem, Al-Shahrani · Kanno, Otayf · Al-Buraikan, Al-Faraj (c), Al-Najei · Al-Shehri

Formation: 4-2-3-1 · Coach: Hervé Renard

How Saudi Arabia qualified for World Cup 2026

Saudi Arabia qualified through Round 4 of AFC qualifying after finishing third in their Round 3 group (behind Japan and Australia) and being forced into the additional round. In the three-team Round 4 group with Indonesia and Iraq, they won 3-2 in Jakarta and drew 0-0 with Iraq in Jeddah to top the group on goals scored — claiming the final automatic Asian spot.

The Round 3 campaign was characterised by inconsistent form under Mancini before his late-2024 replacement. The 2-0 home win over Japan in January 2025 was the standout positive; the 0-2 away loss to Bahrain in October 2024 was the result that ultimately cost the group qualifying.

Renard returned in late 2024 with the explicit remit to restore the structure that delivered the 2022 Argentina win. His preferred 4-2-3-1 emphasises compact defensive shape and counter-attacking transitions through Al-Buraikan and Al-Shehri. The Round 4 group win in October-November 2025 vindicated the appointment.

World Cup history

Saudi Arabia have appeared at six previous World Cups (1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2018, 2022). Best finish: Round of 16 at USA 1994 — their debut tournament, where they beat Belgium 1-0 via Saeed Al-Owairan's famous solo dribble-and-finish goal. The most-famous individual result remains the 2-1 win over Argentina at Qatar 2022 — the first time a non-elite Asian side had beaten a defending world champion at the World Cup since West Germany 1990.

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